WHAT WE’RE READING

The articles you’ll want to save and share with your friends.

1. Is Reds first baseman Joey Votto an underachiever because of his low RBI total, or is he an elite offensive machine because of his incredible on-base percentage and WAR? SI.com’s Paul Daugherty says Votto is the perfect example of a player whose value will fluctuate greatly depending on whether you are talking to an old-school scout or a new-school executive. [READ MORE]

2. The biggest lesson we should learn from watching Anibal Sanchez flirting with another no-hitter before ultimately falling two out shorts on Friday night? Patience. So says ESPN.com’s Matt Meyers, who notes that Sanchez’s career trajectory hasn’t gone according to plan. He fired a no-hitter as a rookie in 2006 and then battled inconsistency and injuries for several seasons. Meyers uses Sanchez as a prime example in terms of pitching prospects who blossomed a bit later than expected. [READ MORE]

3. Catcher Evan Gattis has become a folk hero in Atlanta (and even nationally), but he can’t even crack the Braves’ starting lineup on most nights now that fellow backstop Brian McCann is back from the disabled list. CBSSports.com’s Danny Knobler notes that Gattis is the only player in the majors with a double-digit home run total who doesn’t start every day. And Knobler asks this question with a bit of sincerity: Don’t the Braves want to win? [READ MORE]

4. How does the Dodgers’ current situation compare to that of the Red Sox in 2012? Adrian Gonzalez, who has lived through both situations, tells MLB.com’s Lyle Spencer that the drama in Los Angeles doesn’t come close to matching the mess in Boston last season. And with manager Don Mattingly apparently sticking around, Spencer suggests that the players buy into the manager’s plan. [READ MORE]

5. We’re not supposed to laugh when a fan runs onto the field; in fact, TV rarely shows any footage of the hooligans who jump the walls and inevitably get tackled by multiple security guards. However, Sports on Earth’s Will Leitch isn’t afraid to admit he gets a chuckle out of these fans’ 15 minute (or seconds) of fame. He just isn’t sure why, so he lists multiple reasons that a law-breaking fan can serve as entertainment. [READ MORE]

TWEET OF THE DAY

What sports figures are cramming into 140 characters that you’ve got to hear.

“Sometimes I think it may be fun to enjoy a holiday weekend in the summer w my fam. But then what would I do w/o you people?!?! #ILive4This” — Rays 3B Evan Longoria (@ Evan3Longoria), paying tribute to his fans and/or Twitter followers

VIDEO OF THE DAY

In case you missed (like the umpires did): The Rangers pulled off a hidden-ball trick so well Friday night that they even fooled the first base umpire. Mitch Moreland was credited with recording the second out in a 3-6-3 double play against the Mariners, though he actually never caught the ball while covering first base. But Moreland sold the play so well that neither the men in blue nor Mariners manager Eric Wedge noticed.

ON DECK

Alex Sanabia will be on the mound Sunday afternoon for the Marlins, meaning the loogi patrol will be out in full force at U.S. Cellular Field. In his most recent start, Sanabia was caught on video (and in about 2 billion pictures on the Internet) spitting directly on a baseball. Sanabia’s defense: He didn’t know it was illegal. Rest assured that the White Sox and the umpires will review the rules with him prior to today’s non-slobbered-on first pitch.